System and method for managing past, present, and future states of health using personalized 3-D anatomical models

ABSTRACT

A computer generated 3-D model of the human body (avatar) is created by aggregating personal health and medical data of a user. This data may include data derived from the user&#39;s electronic medical record. The user&#39;s physical characteristics are entered into the software to generate a personalized avatar that resembles him or her. Data regarding the user&#39;s medical history and physical characteristics are visualized on the avatar to map the past and present states of the user, and may be modified by a set of health variables for the purpose of projecting a future body image over established time intervals.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of priority of U.S. ProvisionalPatent Application No. 61/689,161, filed May 29, 2012, which is herebyincorporated by reference in its entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to computer software for multipleplatforms including but not limited to web, mobile, wearabletechnologies, holograms, game systems, motion-capture, TV, and otherdevices that allows people to create personalized interactivethree-dimensional (3-D) anatomical models of themselves for visualizing,understanding, and managing their past, present, and future states ofhealth.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Cancer, heart disease, diabetes, obesity, and many other diseases arecomplex problems based on evolving systems—a combination ofconstantly-changing factors that encompass a range of solutions,probabilities not certainties, compounding effects, infiniteinterrelatedness, and sheer randomness. Obesity, for example, can becaused by a mixture of genetic, social, psychological, and environmentalfactors over time, which will likely never be “cured” by a magic pill ora shot in the arm.

What is needed to address evolving system problems is the transformationof people's mental models—the constructs and assumptions used to guidedecision-making over a long period of time. Individuals with poor mentalmodels often believe that they are invincible, have “good genes”, oronly need to think about health when they are sick. They may, forexample, make bad decisions about diet, exercise, sleep, and smokingevery day—and over years, develop life-threatening medical problems.

People with good mental models enjoy the compound effect of their gooddecisions. The present invention is designed based on a positive,evidence-based and health-behavior mental model: the personal andinformed decision mental model. The invention guides health andmedical-related decision-making by aggregating critical informationabout the past, present, and future in a personalized, engaging, andinteractive way.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is directed to a computerized system and methodfor generating three-dimensional anatomical models of human bodies,which may be customized based on each user's physical characteristicsand medical history. These three-dimensional anatomical models arereferred to herein as “medical avatars.” Three-dimensional anatomicalmodels representing future body images (i.e. medical avatars showing auser's possible future appearance) may also be created based on varioushealth-related variables.

In exemplary embodiments of the present invention, a computer generated3-D model of the human body (medical avatar) is created by aggregatingpersonal health and medical data over time from various sources,including an electronic medical record from the hospital or doctor'soffice. The user's physical characteristics are entered into thesoftware to generate a medical avatar that resembles him or her. All ofthese parameters are visualized on the medical avatar to map the pastand present states of the user—and then modified by a set of healthvariables for the purpose of projecting a future body image overestablished time intervals.

Medical data of various aspects, such as vital signs, health conditions,laboratory results, and diagnostic images, may be visualized in a 3-Danatomical display via a desktop or wearable computer, tablet,smartphone, game system, TV, or other device. Health conditions “map” tothe various organ systems in the body. Utilizing the taxonomy in theindex of medical subject headings, a visual relationship is generatedbetween the health condition and the organ system. As the healthcondition may impact multiple organ systems in the body, the anatomicaldisplay has multiple layers such as skeletal, nervous and respiratorysystems upon which information can be rendered. For a more detailedview, a zoom and rotation function provides the ability to manipulatethe digital body with its various health conditions. The conditions andtheir related medical data can be more easily accessed and understood inthis manner.

In one embodiment, the invention is directed to a method of presentinghealth-related information, the method being performed by execution ofcomputer readable program code by at least one processor of at least onecomputer system. The method includes providing a three-dimensionalanatomical model of a human which has a plurality of anatomical systems;creating a personalized anatomical model by altering an appearance ofthe three-dimensional anatomical model based on a physical attribute ofa user; conducting a predictive analysis of a future health condition ofthe user based on data derived from a medical history of the user; andcreating a future anatomical model by altering an appearance of at leastone anatomical system based on a result of the predictive analysis. Forexample, the data used in the predictive analysis may include datarelating to the user's diet and fitness routine, and the results of thepredictive analysis may include the user's predicted weight, fat-leanratio, and body mass index at a future date. A future anatomical modelof the user may then be created which shows the predicted appearance ofthe user at the future date, based on the user's diet and fitnessroutine.

In another embodiment, the invention is directed to a method ofpresenting health-related information, the method being performed byexecution of computer readable program code by at least one processor ofat least one computer system. The method includes providing athree-dimensional anatomical model of a human which has a plurality ofanatomical systems; creating a personalized anatomical model by alteringan appearance of the three-dimensional anatomical model to include aphysical attribute of a user, and by altering an appearance of at leastone anatomical system based on a medical history of the user; attachinginformation regarding medical symptoms to the personalized anatomicalmodel; and transmitting the personalized anatomical model to a healthcare provider for a medical diagnosis.

The foregoing has outlined rather broadly the features and technicaladvantages of the present invention in order that the detaileddescription of the invention that follows may be better understood.Additional features and advantages of the invention will be describedhereinafter which form the subject of the claims of the invention. Itshould be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the conceptionand specific embodiment disclosed may be readily utilized as a basis formodifying or designing other structures for carrying out the samepurposes of the present invention. It should also be realized by thoseskilled in the art that such equivalent constructions do not depart fromthe spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the appendedclaims. The novel features which are believed to be characteristic ofthe invention, both as to its organization and method of operation,together with further objects and advantages will be better understoodfrom the following description when considered in connection with theaccompanying figures. It is to be expressly understood, however, thateach of the figures is provided for the purpose of illustration anddescription only and is not intended as a definition of the limits ofthe present invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In the accompanying drawings, which form part of the specification, likenumerals and letters refer to like parts wherever they occur.

FIG. 1 is a screenshot showing the personalization of a body of a user'smedical avatar, in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a depiction of male and female medical avatars.

FIG. 3 is a depiction of the medical avatars of FIG. 2, after beingaltered to show increased body mass.

FIG. 4 is a depiction of the medical avatars of FIG. 2, after beingaltered to show decreased body mass.

FIG. 5 is a screenshot showing medical avatar personalization using aheadshot photograph of the user.

FIG. 6 is a screenshot of a medical avatar application customized for aspecific hospital.

FIG. 7 is a chart depicting the timeline functionality of a medicalavatar application.

FIG. 8 shows graphs of a user's weight and body mass index (BMI) overtime.

FIG. 9 is a chart representing the future-oriented portion of thetimeline functionality of FIG. 7.

FIG. 10 is a screenshot illustrating the “Note to Self” feature of amedical avatar application.

FIG. 11 is a chart representing the data sharing functionality of amedical avatar application.

FIG. 12 is a chart representing the Continuity of Care Document (CCD)Viewer functionality of a medical avatar application.

FIG. 13 is a chart representing Health Level 7 (HL7) importfunctionality of a medical avatar application.

FIG. 14 is a chart representing the weight loss visualizationfunctionality of a medical avatar application.

FIG. 15 is a chart representing the fitness training visualizationfunctionality of a medical avatar application.

FIG. 16 is a chart representing the interface modalities of a medicalavatar application.

FIG. 17 is a wireframe showing how an embodiment of the presentinvention may be customized for a specific hospital.

FIG. 18 is a wireframe of the embodiment of FIG. 17, showing a page ofthe software application which presents links to hospital content.

FIG. 19 is a wireframe of the embodiment of FIG. 17, showing a displayincluding a menu listing the anatomical systems.

FIG. 20 is a wireframe of the embodiment of FIG. 17, showing a displayincluding a medical avatar comprising organs of a selected anatomicalsystem.

FIG. 21 is a wireframe of the embodiment of FIG. 17, showing a displayincluding a menu listing conditions and diseases associated with aselected organ.

FIG. 22 is a wireframe of the embodiment of FIG. 17, showing a healthtopic page containing information regarding a selected condition ordisease.

FIG. 23 is a wireframe of the embodiment of FIG. 17, showing a displayincluding a listing of anatomical systems with a saved health topic.

FIG. 24 is a wireframe of the embodiment of FIG. 17, showing a displayincluding a medical avatar comprising organs of a selected anatomicalsystem with a saved health topic.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

In exemplary embodiments of the present invention, users can createpersonalized interactive 3-D anatomical models of themselves forvisualizing, understanding, and managing their past, present, and futurestates of health. This digital anatomical visualization may includevarious functionalities that allow users to personalize their medicalavatars, receive tailored content from their doctor or hospital, mapinformation over a lifespan timeline, graph data, manage future healthstates, record “notes-to-self,” share data, view their Continuity ofCare document (CCD), import Health Level 7 (HL7) data, and visualizeweight loss and fitness training.

FIG. 1 illustrates a display of the medical avatar application throughwhich the body of the medical avatar 10 may be personalized. Bodypersonalization of the medical avatar of the present invention has threemain components: (1) customizable anatomical models, (2) user-madechanges to the models based on data input directly by users, and (3)automatic changes to the models which can be based on data from a thirdparty or an electronic medical record.

The customizable anatomical models may include default bodies for menand women of different ethnicities and ages, including children. Defaultmedical avatars are avatars of healthy, idealized bodies. The digitalmodels include morph targets, which allow for data inputs by the user ora third party to control the size and shape of polygons in the models.The software matches the name of each anatomical part of the model (orgroup of anatomical parts) to a specific controller that changes its x,y, z dimensions. These changes are limited by constraints established inthe models to stay within human-plausible dimensions and proportions.

Users can make changes to these models based on data they inputdirectly. Users can enter exact measurements of their body parts,including clothing sizes, so the medical avatar matches their currentbody dimensions. Or they can select a default 3-D anatomical body thatmost closely matches their own. Selections include gender, ethnicity,age, height, and body type.

Body types include the following (or a combination of the following):ectomorph, mesomorph, and endomorph.

In terms of age, users will see their bodies grow older over time. Andthey can “travel through time” to view their bodies at different agesvia the software's timeline interface. The timeline interface is furtherdiscussed below, in connection with FIG. 7. The present inventionincludes customizable default models of bodies for different age groups,including pediatric bodies between ages 0-13, adolescent bodies betweenages 13-19, young adult bodies between ages 20-40, older adult bodiesbetween ages 41-64, and geriatric bodies for ages 65 and older.

Users can set a body type, or combination of body types, for theirmedical avatars. Users can modify their body shape, musculature, andamount of body fat for the medical avatar representing their current ageor at different ages. For example, in the embodiment shown in FIG. 1,clicking or tapping the plus icon 12 increases the apparent body mass ofthe medical avatar, while clicking or tapping the minus icon 14decreases the apparent body mass of the medical avatar. An example ofpossible male and female medical avatars 16, 18 are shown in FIG. 2. Themedical avatars 16, 18 following alteration to show increased body massare shown in FIG. 3. The medical avatars 16, 18 following alteration toshow decreased body mass are shown in FIG. 4. Users may also see changesin their avatars over time based on diet and exercise, as furtherdiscussed below in connection with FIG. 9. In some embodiments of thepresent invention, the software allows users to manipulate thecontrollers for all the body parts of their medical avatars to match thesize and shape of their own bodies—or to visualize desired improvementsto their current bodies.

In some embodiments of the present invention, automatic changes to amedical avatar can be made based on data from a third party or anelectronic medical record. If a medical avatar is not already presentfor a given patient, the available demographic and health informationmay predefine physical characteristics of the medical avatar, includingbut not limited to the patient's age, gender, height, weight, body type,fat-lean ratio, and body mass index.

A patient's medical avatar may be fully customized based on thepatient's current health conditions, past medical history, and potentialissues in the future. For example, diseased organs, tumors, injurieslike broken bones and cuts, amputated limbs, prosthetics, medicalimplants, and cosmetic surgical changes can all be shown in the medicalavatar.

The medical avatar may also show the patient what he or she can expectat various stages of care. For example, before a surgical procedure, apatient can navigate the medical avatar in a virtual environment to seewhat will happen when he or she arrives at the hospital, checks-in, goesto the operating room, receives anesthesia, wakes up, stays at thehospital, goes home, and follows post-discharge instructions. Thevirtual experience reduces stress and anxiety during the actualexperience because the patient knows beforehand exactly what to expect.

In the virtual environment, patients can see procedures performeddirectly on their medical avatars as well as the possible results fromtreatment. For example, a patient considering bariatric surgery canwitness a laparoscopic gastric bypass, gastric banding, duodenal switch,and sleeve gastrectomy performed on their medical avatar. Thedifferences between the procedures are made apparent, and when themedical avatar eats a meal, the patient can see the resultingrestriction in food consumption. Potential changes in weight over aspecified time period, along with possible complications and otherfactors that may affect outcomes, are also shown on the medical avatar.The visualizations serve patient education purposes and help patientsmake informed decisions together with their care providers.

The medical avatar may be used to visualize the positive effects oftreatment compliance and the potential negative effects ofnon-compliance. For example, patients who adhere to therapies forasthma, diabetes, and hypertension can see their healthy medical avatarsleading productive lives. Non-compliant patients, however, are given avirtual preview of the complications and progression of disease that islikely to occur.

A medical avatar may be further personalized to reflect a user'sphysical characteristics, by using a photograph of the user's face toachieve facial personalization of the avatar. FIG. 5 illustrates facialpersonalization. Facial personalization may be performed using aheadshot capture function of the software. In one example of a headshotcapture function, headshot capture has two main components: 1) photoalignment and 2) 2-D to 3-D transformation.

The first component of headshot capture is photo alignment. A window 20appears when clicking the button 22 in the screen display. First, theuser takes two photos of himself or herself using the device's camera.The user must take a frontal photo of his or her face as well as a sideprofile photo. A front facing camera makes this process much simpler. Ifa front facing camera is not available, another individual may take theuser's photograph.

Once the photos are taken, the user aligns specific pick pointsnecessary for transformation of the 2-D images into a 3-D model. Thefollowing pick points are needed on the frontal face photo: center ofthe pupils, the outermost points on the nose flaps, corners of mouth,outermost points of the cheekbones, occluding contour of the jaw at thesame height as the mouth (or what would be the same height if the faceis tilted up or down). The following pick points are needed on the sideprofile photo: sellion, nose tip, halfway in-between on the nose bridge,outer corner of eye, where nose meets philtrum, forward-most point ofupper lip, forward-most point of lower lip, forward-most point of chin,part-way between chin and neck on lower chin contour. The user dragseach pick point to the proper location on their frontal and side profilephotos. Once the user is done, the pick point data is saved and outputto an XML file where the column and row counts start at (0,0) for thetop left pixel of the image. Users may use this functionality to capturemultiple photos over time to build a chronology of facial photos movingforward. Past facial photos can also be pulled from other sourcesoutside of the application for alignment on the medical avatar at thespecific ages when the photos were taken.

The second component of headshot capture is 2-D to 3-D transformation.This component uses the FaceGen SDK, which is available from SingularInversions Inc. in Toronto, Ontario (www.facegen.com). The pick pointdata XML file is loaded into the invention. A head mesh topology alongwith parametric data is then generated in C++. Face controllers canmanipulate the mesh topologies to simulate changes such as aging orobesity. Accessory models such as hair or glasses can be added as well.Shape statistics leave the neck seam unchanged for seamless stitching ofthe personalized face/head model to the rest of the medical avatar body.The invention also includes a custom tool that loads the resulting .OBJformat models into Cocos3D, which at the current time only supportsPowerVR (.POD) format models. The custom loader is written as a subclassof ‘CC3Resource’, following the patterns of the ‘CC3PODResouce’ class.Cocos3D is an open source Objective-C framework used by the invention.

3-D models from radiographic imaging such as MRI, CT, PET, andmicroscopy can also be imported into the medical avatar. Picturearchiving and communication systems (PACS) store grayscale and colorimages in DICOM, TIFF, Interfile, GIF, JPEG, PNG, BMP, PGM, RAW or otherimage file formats. Software such as 3D-DOCTOR can create 3D surfacemodels and volume rendering from these 2-D cross-section images in realtime. The resulting surface models in .OBJ format supplant the genericorgan models in the medical avatar. For example, the personalized lungmodel made from CT replaces the generic lung model. The user can thussee a more naturalistic representation of his or her own pulmonarysystem. The radiographic models can also be used for patient educationpurposes. For example, a CT model of a longer-term smoker's lungs can beimported to motivate smoking cessation. Lung cancer diagnosis andprogression can also be visualized to illustrate the potential positiveeffects of treatment and help promote patient compliance.

Medical avatar application software may be customized for specificproviders and payers. FIG. 6 is a screenshot of a medical avatarapplication developed for a hospital which, for purposes ofillustration, is referred to as Central Health System, which is afictitious hospital. This screenshot includes a patient's medical avatar10. In the embodiment described below, the custom hospital applicationhas four main components: 1) a header with the hospital logo, 2) afooter with linkages to hospital web services, 3) a user-facing profilebuilding tool, and 4) a messaging platform for sending broadcastmessages. Other embodiments may include fewer main components, or moremain components than the four discussed below.

The first component, a header 30, is used to represent the brand of thehospital by embedding the hospital logo 32 at the top of the applicationscreen. To begin, the developer obtains the hospital logo to be used.Since logos vary in dimension, design and color, the developer mustadjust the top portion of the screen to reflect these various elements.In one embodiment, the dimensions are as follows: 768×84 portrait, and1024×84 landscape. In another embodiment, the logo dimension are 300×60.The background color may be changed to match the hospital logo and theactual logo design may be cropped to fit the dimensions of, for example,the top left portion of the screen.

The second component of the application, a footer, contains variousbuttons that can be adjusted depending on the hospital's needs andrequirements. The number of buttons in the footer may vary in differentembodiments, from one to as many buttons as may be represented in thefooter. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 6, the footer contains fivebuttons. In some embodiments, the total characters of the button namesmay be limited. For example, in one embodiment, the total characterlength of all button names cannot exceed 91 characters.

Each of the buttons in the footer may match the hospital branding. Thebuttons contain links to information which the hospital chooses todisplay in conjunction with the medical avatar. These links may includelinks to a physician directory, a department directory, informationregarding clinical services, information regarding administrativeservices, health content, multimedia/video content, recent health news,information regarding locations and directions, a page from which apatient may make an appointment, and any other resources or information.Depending on the links selected, the developer updates the labels ofeach of the buttons and embeds the link provided by the hospital. Once auser clicks on any of these buttons in the footer, the applicationredirects him or her to the appropriate website or function associatedwith the link.

In the example shown in FIG. 6, the following five hospital-specificbuttons are included: “Find a Physician” 38, “Request an Appointment”40, “Our Services” 42, “Locations & Directions” 44, and “OtherResources” 46. Each of these buttons provides a link to the associatedwebsite, or to the associated content from a page on a website (such asthe hospital website), or to pages within the medical avatar applicationthat contain content (such as content from the hospital). For example,the button 38 labeled “Find a Physician” may provide a link to ahospital's “Find a Physician” search page, formatted for smartphonesand/or tablets. All of a hospital's physicians may be searchable throughthis page. The button 40 labeled “Request an Appointment” may provide alink to a hospital's “Request an Appointment” page, and the button 42labeled “Our Services” may provide to a link to a hospital'scomprehensive list of services, each formatted for smartphones and/ortablets. The “Locations & Directions” button 44 may provide a link to alist of a hospital's locations, with each address linked on an on-linemap. The location addresses and map links may be pulled from hospitalwebsite. The “Other Resources” button 46 may provide a link to a webpage including an index of links provided for the patient. The web pagemay be created on the hospital's content management system.

It is beneficial if a hospital for which a medical avatar application iscreated has a website administered by a content management system.Information for the application may then be pulled from the contentmanagement system. Moreover, hospital content updates or textcorrections may be made by the hospital through its content managementsystem. For example, all content updates may be made to the hospitalwebsite using the content management system. The content may then bepulled from the website to appear within the medical avatar application,to be accessed via the buttons in the footer.

The third component of the application, a user-facing profile builder,requires the end user to answer five demographic questions. The answersto these questions develop the basic setup of the user's personalizedmedical avatar. In one embodiment, the questions include: 1) first andlast name, 2) date of birth, 3) gender, 4) email address, and 5) healthtopics of interest selected from a listing of clinical specialtiesprovided. In other embodiments, fewer questions may be asked, oradditional questions pertaining to the user may be asked.

The fourth component, a messaging platform, provides select membersauthorized by the hospital the capability of logging into a specificwebsite and sending large-scale broadcast messages to their user base.The website functions similarly to a weblog platform and offers theability to create messages with text, static images and multimediavideos as necessary. The authorized user is linked directly to theanonymous data collected from patients during the profile building phaseand can create a patient cohort to send messages to based on demographiccriteria. These criteria may include, but are not limited to, date ofbirth, gender, and health topics of interest. The messages sent to apatient cohort may include marketing messages.

Once the message is delivered to the patient's in-box, the patient mayreceive a notification through the application display. In oneembodiment, the application display includes an icon or badge whichindicates the number of messages in the user's in-box. Users may checkthese messages at their leisure by clicking on the in-box icon, whichleads them to a message screen with a list of messages from theirhospital. The message may include a call-to-action, such as an eventregistration, which will take the user to an external web page.

A user, such as an authorized hospital representative, can send ortransmit text messages to patients based on various characteristics,such as the patients' indicated interests (e.g. heart disease, exercise,etc.) or demographics (e.g. age, gender, location, etc.).

Different anatomical systems may be viewed by clicking on a navigationbar 48, as shown in FIG. 6. The navigation bar contains a plurality ofsystem buttons 50, with each system button corresponding to a differentanatomical system. Each anatomical system may be viewed separately whenclicking on each system button 50. Alternatively, the structuresassociated with the selected anatomical system may be highlighted in themedical avatar. In one embodiment, the medical avatar is organized into13 anatomical systems: (i) eyes and vision; (ii) ear, nose, and throat;(iii) teeth and mouth; (iv) skin, hair, and nails; (v) bones andmuscles; (vi) lungs and breathing; (vii) heart and blood; (viii)digestive; (ix) hormones; (x) urinary; (xi) reproductive; (xii) immune;and (xiii) brain and nerves.

The transparency of the anatomical systems of the medical avatar may becontrolled using a slider 52, as shown in the display of FIG. 6. Allvisible anatomy may be made equally transparent, except for anyhighlighted organs or parts.

The user can easily rotate, zoom in, and zoom out of the medical avatarto view different anatomical systems and organs. On a touch interface, afinger swipe to the left or right will rotate the 3-D models. A twofinger swipe zooms into the body, and a two finger pinch zooms out ofthe body.

The content management system may manage data entered by patients usingthe medical avatar application. In the present embodiment, the firststep for the patient to generate a medical avatar is to enter relevantdemographic information such as his or her first and last name, date ofbirth, gender, email address and health topics of interest. This datamay be relayed directly to the hospital's content management system tobe used for anonymous data analysis at a later time. The authorizedhospital user may then log into the website provided to determine apatient cohort to whom to send messages. For example, female patientsover 50 years old interested in diabetes represent one such possiblepatient cohort. After selecting the cohort, the authorized user maygenerate a broadcast message to these patients that would appear intheir application's in-box. The patients would notice a number appear onthe corner of their in-box icons indicating they have a specific numberof messages from their hospital. Once a patient clicks on the in-box,the message appears in another screen for the patient to review.

The medical avatar application display may also include a controltoolbar 54. In the present embodiment, the control toolbar includes fivebuttons, but other embodiments may include a different number of buttonsin the toolbar. As shown in FIG. 6, the present embodiment includes thefollowing buttons in the control toolbar: a health topics button 56, aphotograph button 58, gender selection buttons 60, and a reset button62.

The health topics button 56 allows patients to add any health topic inthe medical avatar application library. Each topic is mapped to theanatomical body of the medical avatar 10. The health topics in themedical avatar application library may include an alphabetical andsearchable listing of diseases and conditions.

The photograph button 58 allows patients to add photographs ofthemselves through the camera of the device running the medical avatarapplication, such as a desktop computer, laptop computer, tablet, orsmartphone. In some embodiments, photographs of the patient are takenusing the medical avatar application. In other embodiments, photographsof the patient obtained by, for example, a digital camera may beuploaded for use by the medical avatar application.

The gender selection buttons 60 allow patients to change the gender of amedical avatar, so that patients may use the application to look upinformation regarding diseases and conditions associated with eithergender. When the male gender is selected, the application displaysinformation regarding diseases and conditions associated with the malegender. When the female gender is selected, the application displaysinformation regarding diseases and conditions associated with the femalegender.

The reset button 62 returns the medical avatar to its original view. Nodata is lost when the reset button is activated.

The medical avatar application display may also include a sharingtoolbar 64. For example, as shown in FIG. 6, the sharing toolbar mayinclude buttons 66 associated with various social media sites, such asFacebook, Twitter, and Google+. Selecting these buttons allows users toshare their medical avatars on the associated social media sites. Thesharing toolbar may also include a button allowing users to emailinformation regarding their medical avatars.

When users select a button 66 associated with a social media site, amessage may appear, asking them to confirm that they wish to share theimage of the medical avatar on the social media site. The informationfor possible sharing may be restricted such that only a screenshot imagefrom the medical avatar application is shared, and no otherfunctionality or information regarding the patient is provided to thesocial media site. When a medical avatar is shared on a social mediasite, the hospital's logo and a link to the hospital's website may alsobe provided.

A medical avatar application customized for a hospital may includespecific content from the hospital, tailored for a patient. For example,selected content from the hospital website may appear in the applicationbased on health topics selected by the patient. All content updates maybe made to the website using the hospital's content management system.The content is then pulled from the hospital website to appear withinthe application, bridging the relationship between the patient and thehospital.

Any health or hospital-related content may be pulled from a website andincluded in the medical avatar application display, as set forth belowin Table 1. For example, if a user selects a health topic from thedrop-down menu 68 shown in FIG. 6, the resulting display may include alist of related services offered by the hospital, next to informationregarding the selected health topic. The list of related services mayinclude links to information regarding each service in the list. Thedisplay may also include a list of physicians from the hospital whosepractice is related to the health topic selected by the patient. Boththe service information and physician information may be obtained fromthe hospital's website content management system. Consumer healthcontent may be pulled from sources such as the Krames Staywell HealthLibrary or the MedlinePlus database from the U.S. National Library ofMedicine.

TABLE 1 Personalized Content from Medical Avatar Interface Server SideContent Input Output Configuration Physicians Keyword Physician Name(with Prefix # of items to send to client and postfix) Link to PhysicianProfile Services Keyword Service Name # of items to send to client Linksto Service Consumer Health Keyword Consumer Health Content # of items tosend to client Content Title Link to content article Multimedia/ KeywordLink to Media File (Image or Media Auto Play Video MP4 video) Yes/NoThumbnail Image May be limits to Media File Height number of items MediaFile Width that may be sent, Length of the Video such as a limit thatVideo Type (Youtube or only 1 item can be MP4 or Image) sent LatestHealth Keyword Health News Title # of items to send News Release Date toclient Link to Health News Article Date Range from which to select

In a preferred embodiment, the representational state transfer (REST)server responds in JavaScript Object Notation (JSON). Preferably, thereis a method to request all the data in one single request or ask forindividual items. The REST server may contain an input that contains anencrypted shared secret to verify that only the authorized client iscalling the server. If the shared secret is wrong, the server will noteven process the request.

Preferably, the client should try to reach the server three timesconsecutively. If the server is not available, the client should stoptrying to reach the server until the next user clicks on the client.

WebView with CSS may be maintained on the server.

FIG. 7 is a chart representing the timeline functionality of the medicalavatar application. The timeline interface allows easy access toavailable health and medical information from any year, month, day,and/or time of the user's lifetime. The user's entire lifespan may beencompassed by the timeline. The timeline transforms the medical avatarto only display information and characteristics from the specified timeperiod. The timeline interface has two main components: 1) a ticker barwith years, months, and days and 2) a filter for referring to a previoustime or past input.

In one embodiment, the first component, a ticker bar 70, has verticaltime indicators and a round scroll icon that allows a user to tap, holdand move to another date where a previous input was made. As a user canhave multiple medical avatars for different time periods, the timelineoffers the ability to go to each of those time periods with a simplemotion of the finger.

The ticker bar 70 may be located anywhere on the display. For example,it may span the length of the screen just below the header but above themain digital anatomical medical avatar. The timeline's starting point isthe user's current age and last input. From there, a user may scroll toanother section of the timeline where an input was made. The inputs canbe of any variety, such as, but not limited to, notes made by the userabout symptoms on a specific date and time, a Continuity of CareDocument which was input by the user or a third party, and anymedication or procedure updates made by either the user or a thirdparty. A timeline icon allows users to hide or show the timelinedepending on their preference.

The second component of the timeline functionality is a filter 72embedded within the timeline that allows a user to filter content basedon search parameters, such as conditions, procedures, medications, diet,activities, symptom tags and any other types of notes the user has made.Once users submit a search query, they are provided with a list ofresults based on the search criteria. Upon clicking on a listed result,specific points in the timeline are highlighted to indicate exact datesand times. Users may then scroll to a specific date and time to reviewthe desired content. In one embodiment, once the users have finishedtheir filtered search, they may select “Done” in the list of results todefault back to the original screen.

As a use-case example, if a user was diagnosed with diabetes in May of2003 and suffered a heart attack in October of 2005, this medicallyrelated information would be inputted in the timeline either by the useror a third party such as a hospital staff member. By going to theparticular date on the timeline, the user can view any medical datarelated to the health condition diagnosed or treated on that date. Anyassociated findings are recorded in a similar time-based fashion toprovide a detailed chronology of the health conditions.

Additionally, a user can filter the timeline for a particular healthcondition by episode to track the entire timeline from beginning to end.For example, a user inputs the aforementioned diabetes diagnosis in Mayof 2003 with associated vital signs, laboratory results and diagnosticimages. Subsequent visits to a doctor or hospital are recorded in thetimeline that may or may not be related to the original diabetesdiagnosis. If a user desires to view only the visits, results andmedical data related to the diabetes diagnosis, an episodic view of thatdiagnosis can be rendered to display from start to present any or allinformation related to that diagnosis. The user can scroll to any of thehighlighted portions to review the details of his or herdiabetes-related inputs.

On the other hand, if the user wants to review medications only relatedto the heart attack in October of 2005, he or she may select this in thefiltering criteria to display when any mention of that medicationoccurred within the timeline, and to review these inputs. In oneembodiment, when the user has completed the filtering, the user mayselect “None” in the filtering criteria to eliminate the highlights andview the medical avatar from its default setting.

The filtering functionality of the timeline interface may be used todisplay data and trends related to specific health measurements. Asshown in FIG. 8, the data may be displayed using graphs. The graphs inFIG. 8 are plots of a user's weight and body mass index (BMI) over time.

The primary function of data graphing is the ability of the user to viewtextual data in a graphical format. Laboratory and vital signs data iscommonly displayed within tables with columns and rows indicatingcurrent values, past values, benchmark values and whether the patient isover and under the benchmark. Data graphing provides the ability toimmediately view such data on a graph, such as a line graph, with anx-axis for time and a y-axis for the metric in question. The user caneasily view the changing trends of such data over time using thisformat.

Data graphing requires the mapping of the discrete textual data inputtedby the patient or provided by a third party to the x and y axis of thegraph. The data may be stored as local JSON files and then, using aJavaScript graphing application programming interface (API), the datamay be displayed graphically via the device's in-app web browser.

As a use-case example, if a user receives from another party laboratoryor vital signs data, that data may be filtered from beginning to end ina line graph or diagram. For example, blood pressure from 2003-2006 canbe depicted on a line graph with the year on the x-axis and the systolicand diastolic values on the y-axis. A benchmark line for systolic at 120and diastolic at 80 can be drawn horizontally on the line graph toillustrate the patient's trends above and below this line, providevisual cues and guidance about when blood pressure was higher or lowerthan normal.

Similarly, weight readings from 2005-2010 inputted by the patient overthat time period can be displayed on a line graph with the years on thex-axis and the weight values on the y-axis. If a user chooses tobenchmark against a target weight, they may input this value into thebenchmark box of the graph so they can analyze readings above and belowthat target.

If a user's height is known, a similar line graph can be easilygenerated for BMI as well. Such line graphs can be created for anyinput, such as, but not limited to, A1C test results, glucose levels,hematocrit levels, high-density lipoprotein (HDL) levels, andlow-density lipoprotein (LDL) levels.

FIG. 9 is a representation of the future-oriented portion of thetimeline functionality. The timeline may display content regarding auser's future ages to provide future health management. Future healthmanagement has two main components: 1) health maintenance alerts (HMAs)74, and 2) predictive analysis of possible future conditions 76.

The first component, Health Maintenance Alerts (HMAs) 74, refers to useralerts for specific tests and vaccinations based on age, gender, healthtopics of interest and data inputted by the user or a third party. Thereare existing standards of care in the medical field that recommendcertain tests be conducted at specific intervals or ages, including, butnot limited to, colonoscopies, mammograms, and tetanus shots. Theapplication of the present invention identifies users who match thesestandards based on the users' demographics and other available data inthe hospital database. The application alerts the user of upcoming orpending vaccinations, immunizations or tests through the application'sin-box. A number appears on an in-box icon, such as on the top rightcorner of the icon, indicating the number of messages requiring review.Once the user clicks on the icon, he or she is directed to a screen thatcontains these alerts.

The alert message is generated in such a way to link directly to thehospital services that may be able to fulfill the alert's requirements.All links are managed by the hospital's content management system suchthat they are appropriate for the types of immunizations or proceduresin the alert messages. For example, if a colonoscopy is due for a maleturning 50, the alert message contains a link to the hospital's GIservice. Once the user clicks on the link, he or she is able to schedulean appointment with a physician who can perform the colonoscopyprocedure.

The second component, predictive analysis 76, creates short andlong-term visualizations of future health conditions depending oncurrent patient criteria, such as diet, exercise, smoking, familyhistory, and genetic testing. Specific medical standards of care maypredict that certain patient habits concerning diet and exercise, andthe use of substances such as alcohol and cigarettes, could result inspecific diseases or conditions. These standards of care are referenceddirectly via the application of the present invention. Standardregression analysis techniques are used to identify factors that maypredict certain health outcomes. Calculations are based on past datatrends of the user as well as sample data from similar patientpopulations. The application also provides an immediate visualization ofpossible physical effects due to smoking or increases in weight due topoor diet or exercise. For example, pictures of the user's face aremanipulated using standard digital airbrushing techniques to emphasizewrinkles caused by smoking. Likewise, fatty tissue around the cheeks andneck can be added to the user's face to simulate potential weight gain.Morph targets on the 3-D anatomical models are manipulated to showchanges in the body, such as increased (or decreased) mass. The user mayselect individual risk factors from within the “Predictive Analysis”screen, which is accessible via an icon on the application display.Within this screen, the patient may input risk factors, such as but notlimited to the average number of cigarettes smoked per day and dailycaloric intake. This data regarding a risk factor, along with the age ofthe patient, allows the application to determine the impact of the riskfactor based on current health impact standards. The user then sees avisual display of the medical avatar at time intervals appropriate tothe inputs, risk factor, age, and the standard of care. The timeintervals could be in days, months or years, and as the user scrollsalong these intervals on the timeline, the progression of the illnesscan be visualized over time as changes occurring to the appearance ofthe medical avatar. This allows patients to see directly the impact ofcurrent habits on their future bodies, and to alter behavior asnecessary.

As a use-case example, if a user's tetanus immunization is about toexpire or the user is close to the age of 50 and needs a colonoscopy, ahealth alert appears in his or her in-box indicating this information.The user may schedule each of these health procedures directly throughthe application, as linkages with local clinicians and hospitals arealready present.

In addition, based on current risk factors such as long-term smoking, a48-year-old user can see how his or her face, lungs and other areas ofhis or her body are impacted. The visualization is developed using theprogression of disease from current standards of care that may bereferenced. Once the user selects “smoking” as a risk factor, based onhis or her current age and volume of cigarettes smoked, the medicalavatar adjusts to reflect the visual profile at time intervalsappropriate to the standard of care. Time intervals may also be adjustedby the user. In the case of the “smoking” risk factor, it may be another15 years before the lungs are dramatically affected, and the user cansee in yearly time intervals the progression of the illness over time.

This type of analysis can be conducted for risk factors that havediscrete medical criteria and standards of care associated with them toallow for such a calculation of progression to be made.

The application of the present invention may include a “Note to Self”functionality, which allows users to highlight parts of their medicalavatars and record corresponding symptoms. FIG. 10 shows a displayillustrating the “Note to Self” feature. The “Note to Self”functionality has two main components: 1) tap and press capability thatallows a user to add a note 78 to a specific part of the body, and 2)export capability of all or certain filtered notes to standard,compatible file formats.

The first component, which allows a user to interact with the rendered3-D polygonal body, requires a software development kit (SDK) for thesmartphone or tablet computer so the display is configured to allow theuser to “tap and hold” a part of the mobile device, causing a blanknote, which is very similar to a Post-It® note, to appear. The devicekeyboard is activated at the same time to allow the user to type acertain number of characters, such as 140 characters, explaining thesymptoms of the condition he or she is experiencing. In someembodiments, there is no limit in the number of characters which may betyped. Once the user has successfully input his or her notation andselected “Done,” the date and time 80 are automatically captured and asymbol such as an asterisk indicates that a note 78 is present.Regardless of how much the user zooms in or out of the various bodylayers, the symbol remains to indicate the presence of a note for thatspecific date and time. If a user scrolls to another date using thetimeline, the symbol no longer appears, but the note 78 may be accessedvia the “Notes” icon on the display.

To use the “Note to Self” function, the user “taps and holds” an area onthe device, which allows the user to manually circle the area inquestion. In some embodiments, a cursor may be moved using a mouse of acomputer in order to circle the desired area. Once the blank noteappears, the user may type the symptoms and label the note with a “tag”indicating the location as perceived by the user, such as, for example,shoulder, eye, hip, etc. The user may go back to this tag and produceadditional notes under the same tag, creating a group of notes with acommon tagged association that the user may refer to at a later time.

Notes are stored in a secure database or on the device itself,accessible in the future using the “Notes” icon on the display. The“Notes” icon contains functionality that allows a user to filter fornotes by a tag 82 or even a specific time period. All notes, filtered orotherwise, may be exported to most standard file formats such as .csv,.xls, .doc and .xml. Contained within each export will be the tag 82,date and time 80, and text of the note 78. The user may then organizeand analyze this data as he or she deems necessary. The .xml file formatalso allows for direct HL7-based integration to a portion of theelectronic medical record (EMR) to allow the medical care provider toreview such notes prior to seeing the patient.

As a use-case example, if a user suffers cramping near the right hip,the user may motion towards the right hip region on the Medical Avatar,zoom in to see the musculoskeletal layer and “tap and hold” to add a 140character note regarding the cramping. The user may tag the note as“hip” or “right hip” or “right hip pain,” depending on how specificallythe user wants to indicate the problem.

This note is recorded with an associated timestamp to approximate thetime and date when the symptom was present. If the user re-experiencesthis pain, but in a region slightly left of where he or she originallyexperienced it, he or she may once again zoom in, locate either theoriginal tag that most closely matches the location of the pain, anddocument another 140 character note. The user can continue to do thisfor the same set of tags depending on the frequency of the pain. Over anextended period of time, exact timestamps with noted details will serveas a future reference for the user and clinician.

If the user has an appointment with an orthopedist, for example, todiagnose the pain, he or she may use the app to concisely share his orher medical narrative. The physician is better able to make an accuratediagnosis as he or she has full access to symptoms and other detailsthat may be difficult to communicate verbally. The patient can alsoexport a part or all of the notes he or she has entered about thesymptoms into a compatible file format to share with the doctor. Thefile may be downloaded and printed, shared via email, or even shared viaa direct interface to the doctor's EMR system. In this case, the problemmay range from being a hernia in the abdominal region or a sprain of thehip, but exact notations of the symptoms add to the volume of evidenceand exact testimony to make such a diagnosis.

The notes are perpetually available for a specific user's profile. If,two years down the line, the user begins to once again experience asimilar pain, he or she may refer back to the previous notes todetermine similarities or differences. Serving as a journal-likerepository of symptomatic inputs, this “Note to Self” function allowsboth a user and a physician to track the symptoms of an illness overtime, thereby facilitating diagnosis and treatment.

The application of the present invention may include a data sharingfunctionality, which allows data to be shared between a user and adesignated clinician. FIG. 11 is a chart representing the data sharingfunctionality. The data sharing functionality has two maincomponents: 1) full transfer of data over secure servers, and 2) limitedtransfer of data over social media.

The first component, full transfer of data, facilitates the ability tosend data from a user's device 84—smartphone, tablet, laptop, ordesktop—across a secure third party server 86 directly to a verifiedclinical provider. The user's device 84 stores the most recent andupdated version of his or her medical avatar. When the user chooses toshare the medical avatar with his or her clinical provider, the user cantap and select a “share” button on the display. A list of providersappears with whom the user may share data. The user can decide who tosend the data to depending on the medical specialty of the provider,such as primary care, orthopedics, nephrology, etc.

Once a clinical specialist is chosen, the user has the option oflimiting the data that will be sent by tapping on the “Filter” icon tofilter for the various elements within the medical avatar, such as butnot limited to conditions, medications, laboratory results, and notes.The user may also filter for specific time periods in the timeline byselecting a start and end date. If the user wants to send all currentmedical information associated with the medical avatar, he or she doesnot need to filter the data and may simply select “Send.”

In one embodiment, the data is packaged in JSON files and sent inreal-time through a secure channel to a secure third party hosted server86. The package is parsed via a JSON parser for the hospital andclinical provider to whom it is being sent. The parsing of the datadepends on the content management system or the electronic medicalrecord system to which the data is being sent. Parsing of the data mayoccur very quickly, in a matter of seconds, and the data is sent to thehospital's server 88 across a secure channel.

Once the packaged and parsed data is received by the hospital server 88,it is redirected to the appropriate clinical provider. The data canappear in various formats, within the hospital content managementsystem's console, the electronic medical record's updates, or throughthe clinical provider's medical avatar. An alert appears indicating datahas been received and requires further review.

The second component of data sharing, limited social media transfer,allows users to share their data over multiple social media platformssuch as, but not limited to, Facebook, Twitter, and Google+. Due to thelimitations of display on the various social media platforms, theapplication generates a formatted view of the information to bedisplayed. The limited format begins with the personalized anatomy ofthe user. In one embodiment, the user then has the option to share atwo-dimensional JPEG picture or text depending on the elements of themedical avatar they'd like to share. The user can select from otherdisplay components such as the labels of the diseases, conditions,medications and notes, and the timeline of the medical avatar the userwants to share, such as past, present or future medical avatars. Theuser may choose to send his or her selection to multiple social mediaplatforms at once. Once the user has made the selection, the picture ortext is sent to the selected social media and displayed in theassociated format.

The application of the present invention may include a Continuity ofCare Document (CCD) Viewer functionality, as represented in the chartshown in FIG. 12. The Continuity of Care Document Viewer or “CCD Viewer”has two main components: 1) export from hospital, and 2) anatomicalmapping to the medical avatar.

The CCD is an XML-based, government-approved standard that aggregatesvarious elements of a patient's record in a summary meant to facilitateclinical exchange of information. It consists of the following 17elements: header, purpose, problems, procedures, family history, socialhistory, payers, advance directives, allergies/alerts, medications,immunizations, medical equipment, vital signs, functional status,results, encounters, and plan of care. As of the publication of theAmerican Recovery and Reinvestment Act in 2009, hospitals and individualclinical providers are required to provide a clinical summary to theirpatients. This may be in the form of a PDF document or an XML documentin the CCD standard. Electronic medical records (EMRs) have the abilityto generate both.

The purpose of the CCD Viewer is to leverage the output of the EMR andcreate a visual, user-friendly dashboard for users on a mobile platform.First, a secure export of the CCD data is required. In its simplestform, a CCD can be exported from the hospital or clinical provider's EMRand given to the patient in a compact disc (CD) or other physicalmedium, or sent over a secure channel to the patient's personal healthrecord (PHR). The latter allows for a seamless transfer of CCDinformation from the EMR to the PHR. Whether via the compact disc or thePHR, the user may download the CCD to his or her device 84, such as apersonal computer, smartphone, or tablet, via an in-app browser thatnavigates the user to the appropriate web page utilized by his or herclinical provider to share protected health information. Data can alsobe accessed using the in-app browser to access the user's email accountto pull the appropriate file. The user may also use iTunes syncfunctionality from his or her device to upload the appropriateinformation. Once the CCD is downloaded to the device, the user maylogin to the application, select the import icon, and choose “CCD” fromthe option menu. The application will then search for “.xml” fileswithin the user's device. Once the search is complete, the user selectsthe appropriate file and the application imports the CCD data directlyto its anatomical interface.

Second, the CCD data is mapped to the application's CCD Viewerdashboard. Certain elements of the CCD are not anatomical and thereforethe data must be parsed into two distinct categories: anatomical andnon-anatomical. Anatomical elements are problems, procedures, familyhistory, allergies/alerts, vital signs, and results. Non-anatomicalelements are the header, purpose, social history, payers, advancedirectives, medications, immunizations, medical equipment, functionalstatus, encounters, and plan of care. Anatomical elements have detaileddata that relate directly to the anatomy of the patient's body. Anassociation may be made between each anatomical data element and thepatient's anatomy.

Based on ICD codes (International Statistical Classification of Diseasesand Related Health Problems), any injury, disease, andcondition—including signs, symptoms, abnormal findings, complaints,social circumstances, and external causes of injury or disease—aremapped to specific anatomical objects in the medical avatar. Everyanatomical object in the 3-D models is named based on standard terms inthe Metathesaurus of Unified Medical Language System (UMLS). Thesoftware uses UMLS controlled vocabularies and classification systems toconnect ICD codes to the corresponding anatomical part.

The non-anatomical elements are organized in a dashboard within theapplication with their associated data reformatted to suit theapplication's interface. The user selects the dashboard menu and adropdown menu appears with a list of the non-anatomical elements thatwere imported from the CCD. The user may select “Medications,” forexample, to display the list of medications noted within the CCD. Theinformation may appear in the font and design of the application.Similarly, the user may select any of the other non-anatomical elementsto display the detail.

An upload of a CCD on a particular date represents a snapshot in time ofthe patient record. Any and all information recorded within is relevantup to the date the CCD was recorded and uploaded in the form of amedical avatar. Any symptoms, issues, problems or diagnoses occurringafter the upload of the CCD and recorded separately from inputs in themedical avatar will not be part of the original CCD. Once another CCD isrequested from a clinician at a future date, any information added sincethe original upload of the CCD will be present in the new snapshot. Forexample, if a CCD is requested and uploaded in May of 2007, itrepresents information in a user's record up to that point. If the usergoes to a clinician suffering from a headache, sore throat and feverafter the upload of the CCD in May, 2007, another CCD must be requestedat that date or a later date from the clinician to ensure the data isrecorded. This limitation is due to the structure of the CCD, not theapplication. Multiple CCDs inputted in the format of the applicationprovide a long-term tracking view of trends and changes in the clinicalhistory of the patient.

As an example of the use of a CCD, a user may go to see his or hernephrologist for end-stage renal disease (ESRD). After the visit, theuser requests a clinical summary in the format of a CCD. The staff atthe nephrologist's office either exports the CCD data onto a compactdisc or other physical medium, or directly to the patient's PHR.

The patient logs in to the medical avatar application and taps on the“Import” icon and selects “CCD” from the menu options. The patient seesa list of .xml files and selects the appropriate file. The data from thefile maps both anatomical and non-anatomical elements onto the CCDViewer dashboard. The user may then use the dashboard to viewnon-anatomical elements, such as medications and plan of care, or toselect anatomical elements, such as problems and vital signs which aredisplayed directly onto the anatomy of the personalized medical avatar.

The application of the present invention may include a Health Level 7(HL7) import functionality, which allows data to be imported in HL7format. FIG. 13 is a chart representing the HL7 import functionality.HL7 import contains one primary functionality: the anatomical andnon-anatomical mapping of medical information within an electronicmedical record directly to the application interface.

Health Level 7 refers both to the organization that creates the medicalstandard and the medical standard itself. The standards generated by HL7create a structure for interoperability between various softwaresystems. There are HL7 standards for messaging, clinical decisions,medical conditions, visual integration, billing claims, documentarchitecture, medications, and electronic and personal health records.

Similar to the algorithmic mapping of CCD data, the medical avatarapplication maps HL7 data in both anatomical and non-anatomical formats.The HL7-to-anatomy mapping is done either by an accredited clinicalprovider or a medical informaticist. Each HL7 standard is firstdetermined to be either anatomical or non-anatomical. Next, thenon-anatomical elements are re-formatted to match the font and designformats of the application. The non-anatomical elements are thenarranged in a standard dashboard listing to be selected by the end-user.

Mapping of the anatomical elements depends on the language and format ofthe HL7 standard, such as SAIF, Arden, MLLP, CCOW, etc. Eachanatomically-related language or format is parsed and mapped to thepatient anatomy to display onto the personalized medical avatar.

The application plugs directly into the hospital or clinical provider'sHL7 standards. Once both anatomical and non-anatomical mappings arecomplete, the user can view the entirety of medical information withinthe application's visual framework. The transfer occurs by securelytransmitting the HL7 record directly to the application's secure serverwhere the information is parsed. Both anatomical and non-anatomicalelements are then mapped directly to the application to appear on theuser's device 84, whether personal computer, smartphone or tablet.

The application of the present invention may include a weight lossvisualization functionality, to facilitate a user's weight management.FIG. 14 is a chart representing the weight loss visualizationfunctionality. Weight loss visualization has three main components: 1)current and target comparison states, 2) treatment protocol instruction,and 3) documentation of progress.

Weight loss visualization begins with defining current and targetstates. The user logs into the application, selects “weight-lossvisualization” from the options menu and is immediately taken to aprofile screen to define the “Current” state 90. A user's currentweight, height and body mass index are necessary metrics to be inputinto the application if they are not already present. The user may usethe last documented metrics from a medical record or previous recordingby selecting “use prior metrics.” This selection will populate eachfield with the necessary information by accessing the data from the mostrecent match to the requested field. The user may also entermeasurements such as waist, chest, and neck sizes—or specific clothingsizes—to define bodily dimensions for current and target states.

In one embodiment, to further enhance the visualization and provide anactual view of the user, a full-body picture of the user in the currentstate may be embedded directly into the application. After inputtinginitial metrics and selecting “Next” on the screen, the user is taken toa “Picture” screen where the user may select “Choose picture” for anexisting, recent picture, or “Take picture” to take a new picture. Oncethe user has done so, the picture is mapped to the medical avatar withinthe application. The user also has a third option to not take a pictureand instead select “Choose body shape.” This allows the user to selectfrom various body morphs to define exactly what kind of body shape theuser currently has. Once the user selects “Choose body shape,” he or sheis directed to another screen with options such as “mesomorph,”“ectomorph,” “endomorph,” or a “combination of body shapes.” The userselects the morph that most closely matches his or her current bodyshape. Once complete, the medical avatar adjusts graphically toincorporate height, weight, and BMI metrics along with the body shape torender a more exact “Current” state 3-D animation of the user. Detailsof body personalization were provided above. If satisfied with the bodyshape provided, the user may select “Next” to continue.

The user's “Target” state 92 must now be defined. In the first stage ofthe “Target” state section, the user is directed to a visual renderingof his or her current morph state and can use his or her thumb andforefinger to shrink or expand the width of the user. If the user isusing a computer, the user may alternatively use a cursor and mouse toshrink or expand the width of the user. As the user applies this motionto the device and application, a weight meter field to one side of theanimation indicates the amount of weight reduction within recommendedguidelines. Constraints are established based upon recommended BMI, i.e.20-25 for optimal weight. Also, a time meter field just below the weightmeter field shows the approximate number of months required to reduceweight to the target level. The computation of time is directly linkedto FDA-approved treatment protocols. For example, if the user's“Current” weight is 230 lbs, and he or she shrinks the current state ofhis or her Medical Avatar to 180 lbs, the reduction of 50 lbs mayindicate a range of 10-16 months in the time meter field, deemedappropriate by FDA regulations. Once the user has decided on the“Target” state 92, he or she may continue by selecting “Next.”

The second component of weight loss visualization is treatment protocolinstruction. Based on the user's selection of “Current” and “Target”states 90, 92, there are a limited number of FDA-approved treatmentprotocols for weight loss recommended for the user. In the “TreatmentProtocol” section, the user goes through the process of selecting themost appropriate treatment protocol depending on his or her dietaryrestrictions, daily schedule, current eating habits, nutritionistcounseling, and any other variable that may guide his or her selection.In one embodiment, three treatment protocols are provided: “TreatmentProtocol A,” a more rigorous approach to diet that in the previousexample would indicate a weight loss goal of 5 lbs/month; “TreatmentProtocol B,” a moderate approach to diet that in the previous examplewould indicate a weight loss goal of 4 lbs/month; and “TreatmentProtocol C,” a simpler approach to diet that in the previous examplewould indicate a weight-loss goal of 3 lbs/month. Once the user makeshis or her selection, the user may continue by selecting “Next.”

The third component of weight loss visualization is documentation ofprogress. Based on his or her selection, the user is provided achecklist of FDA-approved instructions for his or her weight-loss goal.Each element of these instructions has stages where the user maydocument his or her progress, by undergoing the same process ofselecting the body shape as he or she did in the “Current” state 90. Forexample, if the user selects “Treatment Protocol B,” the moderateapproach to weight-loss, he or she may be provided a 5-step plan forreducing his or her weight an approximate 4 lbs/month. As users gothrough each step of the plan, they may document pictorially theirprogress at each step. Additionally, monthly markers create additionalmotivation markers. From the start of the weight loss visualization,every month the users are asked to once again go through the body shapeselection process as they did in the “Current” state 90. They may embedpictures of themselves or simply select the morph that best suits theirbody shape at that point in time. However, users may add pictures at anypoint and are not restricted to only the monthly or step markers. Theseare simply default markers that alert the user throughout their dietaryinitiative to document their progress on a regular basis.

Users may use the application timeline at any point of the weight lossvisualization to review their progress. Scrolling from right to left onthe timeline allows the user to review notes, pictures, and milestonesof the treatment protocol. The user or a clinical provider may make anyadjustments to the treatment protocol based on this review.

The application of the present invention may include a fitness trainingvisualization functionality, to facilitate a user's exercise, fitness,and athletic training. FIG. 15 is a chart representing the fitnesstraining visualization functionality. Fitness training visualization hasfour main components: 1) fitness goal selection 94, 2) expert techniqueinstruction 96, 3) user reflection 98, and 4) comparison assessment 100.

The first component, fitness goal selection 94, starts with the user'sexercise, fitness or athletic goal. Data from health mobile devices,including FitBit and Body Media, that record user fitness statistics maybe imported into the application. Numerous movement activities may betaught through the application, including but not limited to sports suchas baseball, basketball, football, and golf. A user may, for example,select baseball and choose to enhance his or her baseball pitch orbaseball bat swing. A user may select basketball and choose free throw,jump shot or dribbling; select football and choose a spiral or slantroute; select golf and choose driving, putting or chipping; and so on.The user may also select from a range of fitness activities such as, butnot limited to, calisthenics, body-weight exercises, yoga, and pilates.

Once the user has selected a fitness goal, such as a free throw inbasketball, he or she selects “Next” and is taken to a section where heor she may select expert technique instruction 96 based on his or herpreference or height/weight restrictions. For example, a 6′2″, 210 lbuser may choose Stephon Marbury's technique and a 6′8″, 260 lb user maychoose LeBron James' technique, or the user may simply choose the experthe or she prefers. There are multiple experts in each sport embeddedwithin the application to choose from. Once the user makes a selection,the next screen within the application shows the expert performing thetechnique. The stance, motion, extension and follow through of a freethrow may be displayed in multiple body layers. The default is theexternal body of the expert performing the free throw, though the usermay select the muscular or skeletal layer to view another perspective.The user may rotate or zoom as the expert motion is displayed to betterunderstand the technique being used. Once the user is satisfied, he orshe may select “Next” to continue.

A motion capture device such as the Microsoft Kinect is required for thethird component of fitness training visualization. User reflectionrequires the users to mimic the expert technique they just viewed usingthe motion capture device. The users may imitate the free throw motionmultiple times and select the motion they believe matches the experttechnique the most. Once they have completed the user reflection 98 onthe motion capture device, data regarding the users' movements may beimported within the application.

The users may then utilize the fourth component, comparison assessment100, to review and compare their reflection of the expert technique withthe expert technique itself. Each user's movement, as captured by themotion capture device, is compared with the selected expert movement inreal-time. Discrepancies between the user and expert trigger alerts thathighlight the offending parts of the body and the exact moments when themovements diverged. An “instant replay” video is filmed to showframe-by-frame comparisons of the movement performed by the user incontrast with the expert. The user can clearly see where his or hermotion is different from the expert and make the necessary adjustments.The user is prompted to try again and perfect the movement.

Users may access the medical avatar application in a variety ofdifferent ways. FIG. 16 is a chart representing the interfacemodalities. Interface modalities have two main components: 1) securebackup of application data, and 2) interoperable relay to multipledevice platforms.

The primary component to interface modalities is secure backup ofapplication data. Regardless of the device used to access theapplication, user-inputted data is securely archived on a local or thirdparty server. User identifier information is anonymized and only profileinformation is retained within the server. This allows users to accesstheir information from anywhere on multiple devices. It also allows forauthorized, third party users such as clinical providers to accessde-identified user information for research and review purposes.

The second component of interface modalities is the ability to make thedata interoperable and relay it to multiple device platforms. Mobiledevice platforms 102 include tablet computing devices (e.g. iPad,Galaxy, Nexus, etc.) and smartphones (e.g. devices running iOS, Android,Windows, etc.). Additional devices 104 include but are not limited todesktop computers (Dell, Apple, IBM, etc.), game systems with real-timemotion capture (Microsoft Kinect), wearable technologies (Google Glass),TVs, and holographic display devices that allow a user to projectapplication data in the air or a flat surface. Mobile devices 102 suchas jewelry or scannable cards may also serve as repositories of access.Military-style “dog tags” may provide secure access to medical recordsfor military personnel as well as the general public. Scannable cardsembedded with quick response (QR) code technology may also be carriedwith the user on his or her person. This will allow emergency respondersto quickly access information in case the user is incapacitated.

Wireframes of an embodiment of the medical avatar application of thepresent invention are shown in FIGS. 17-24. FIG. 17 provides an exampleof how an application may be customized for a specific hospital. FIG. 18shows a page of the application which presents links 106 to hospitalcontent. FIG. 19 shows a display including a menu 108 listing theanatomical systems. A wireframe of the display which results when thebutton 110 labeled “Digestive” is selected from the menu 108 is shown inFIG. 20. A specific organ 112 of an anatomical system may also beselected, as shown in the wireframe of FIG. 21. FIG. 21 also shows that,upon selection of an organ 112, a menu 114 listing conditions anddiseases associated with the selected organ may be displayed. Selectionof a condition or disease from the menu 114 directs a user to a healthtopic page containing information regarding the selected condition ordisease, as shown in FIG. 22. A health topic may be saved by a user. Asaved health topic may be indicated in the listing of anatomical systemsby a number 116 following the name of the corresponding anatomicalsystem, as shown in FIG. 23. Saved health topics may also appear aslinked labels 118 on the corresponding organ 112 of the medical avatar,as shown in FIG. 24. Tapping or clicking on the organ causes the displayto show all health topics for that organ. The health topic labels 118link to content regarding each health topic.

Although the present invention and its advantages have been described indetail, it should be understood that various changes, substitutions andalterations can be made herein without departing from the spirit andscope of the invention as defined by the appended claims. Moreover, thescope of the present application is not intended to be limited to theparticular embodiments of the process, machine, manufacture, compositionof matter, means, methods and steps described in the specification. Asone of ordinary skill in the art will readily appreciate from thedisclosure of the present invention, processes, machines, manufacture,compositions of matter, means, methods, or steps, presently existing orlater to be developed that perform substantially the same function orachieve substantially the same result as the corresponding embodimentsdescribed herein may be utilized according to the present invention.Accordingly, the appended claims are intended to include within theirscope such processes, machines, manufacture, compositions of matter,means, methods, or steps.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method of presenting health-relatedinformation, the method being performed by execution of computerreadable program code by at least one processor of at least one computersystem, comprising: providing, by at least one processor of at least onecomputer system, a three-dimensional anatomical model of a human, saidthree-dimensional anatomical model comprising a plurality of anatomicalsystems, wherein the three-dimensional anatomical model comprises aplurality of polygons; receiving, by the at least one processor,physical attributes data of a user, and two photographs of the user froma device's camera; creating, by the at least one processor, apersonalized anatomical model by altering an appearance of thethree-dimensional anatomical model based on the physical attributes dataof the user and the two photographs of the user, wherein altering theappearance of the three-dimensional anatomical model includesmanipulating a morph target of a polygon of the plurality of polygons tochange the shape of said polygon based on the physical attributes dataincluding a height, weight, and body mass index of the user, whereinaltering the appearance of the three-dimensional anatomical model isbased on the physical data attributes including the hair color, eyecolor, skin tone, or complexion of the user, and wherein altering theappearance of the three-dimensional anatomical model includes useralignment of specific pick points on two-dimensional photographs of theuser's face, and transformation of the two-dimensional photographs ofthe user's face into the custom three-dimensional model of the user'sface and head based on the specific pick points; conducting, by the atleast one processor, a predictive analysis of a future health conditionof the user based on regression analysis of data derived from a medicalhistory of the user and on sample data from patient populations;creating, by the at least one processor, a future anatomical model byaltering an appearance of an external body and an appearance of aninternal organ of the personalized anatomical model based on thepredictive analysis; and displaying, by the at least one processor, thefuture anatomical model on a computer screen of the computer system. 2.The method of claim 1, further comprising mapping, by the at least oneprocessor, three-dimensional models generated from radiographic imagingof at least a portion of the user's body to the three-dimensionalanatomical model.
 3. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality ofanatomical systems includes at least one of the following systems: (i)eyes and vision; (ii) ear, nose, and throat; (iii) teeth and mouth; (iv)skin, hair, and nails; (v) bones and muscles; (vi) lungs and breathing;(vii) heart, and blood; (viii) digestive; (ix) hormones; (x) urinary;(xi) reproductive; (xii) immune; and (xiii) brain and nerves.
 4. Themethod of claim 1, wherein the physical attribute data further includesthe user's age, gender, body type, fat-lean ratio, an extant medicalcondition, an inferred effect of a medication, extent of osteoporosis,known genetic polymorphisms, clothing size, or shoe size.
 5. The methodof claim 1, wherein the data derived from a medical history of the userused in the predictive analysis includes data relating to a diet of theuser, a fitness routine of the user, a lifestyle behavior of the user,or a combination thereof.
 6. The method of claim 1, further comprisingdisplaying, by the at least one processor, information associated with avisual element of the personalized anatomical model.
 7. The method ofclaim 6, wherein the information associated with the visual elementincludes a label, a high level description, a detailed description,diagnostic notes, laboratory results, temporal graphing, temporalanalysis, an analysis of conditions, a photograph, an image, medicaldata, or a combination thereof.
 8. The method of claim 6, wherein thevisual element includes an anatomical system of the plurality ofanatomical systems, a functional system, an organ, an organelle, atissue, cells, or a combination thereof.